Blog
500 BOOKS TO BE WON IN 300 DAYS - WEEK 31 WINNERS
I've been running this weekly competition on my Facebook fan page all year, and it'll run into 2012. Each week all year I've been giving away three of my trilogies and quartets, signed, except for two breaks where I've given away greater prizes.Total number of books won so far: 352.To enter, go here, http://www.facebook.com/ianirvine.author, Like my page then enter from…
Jessica Shirvington on The Murky Waters of a First Draft
First drafts! I hate them. They make me feel as though I'm a fraud, not a writer, and I wouldn't even show one of mine to my dog. Or as Hemingway put it, 'The first draft of anything is shit!'Jessica Shirvington's first three novels – all urban fantasy – have been published in Australia in the past year, and her…
The Truth About Publishing – 13
Lesson 12: The book production lineA lot goes on behind the scenes that you don’t know about. Therefore publishers like to have the manuscript ready for editing 9-12 months before the publication date. Your publisher won’t schedule the publication date of your book until she has the manuscript in hand. Believe it or not, not all authors deliver when they…
The Golden Age of Aussie Publishing
I dare say some writers, especially those struggling to get published or republished, will take issue with what I’m about to say, but I’ll say it anyway. The past decade and a half have been the golden age in Australian publishing and, over this time, it’s never been easier to get published – and to succeed as a writer.Let me…
The Truth About Publishing –12
Lesson 11: Your editor is wise and you are foolishDon’t believe the nonsense you read about books not being edited any more. I’ve worked with more than a dozen editors over the years, with many different publishers. All my editors have been experienced and diligent, and they all put many, many hours into editing each of my books. One of…